Gloves
by adriadewinter
Summary: After going to the "between-place" Aurora gets burns on her hands like Henry had. Mulan is the only one awake, and Aurora asks why she always wears gloves


Gloves

Aurora woke up suddenly with the uneasy feeling left behind by her nightmares and looked around the tent for Snow. The sky was completely black with the moon hidden and not a star was in sight as she timidly called out, "Snow?" Nothing stirred, so wrapping herself in her cloak, Aurora rose up and stepped outside.

Next to the fire she saw the sleeping forms of both Snow and her daughter Emma, and rising up beyond the fire she saw Mulan, ever watchful, stand and walk over. She was silent for a moment and then asked, "Was it the dream again?"

Aurora nodded almost in tears. She began to shake from fear, and a little from the cold, so she reached up to pull her cloak tighter around her shoulders when her hands brushed against the clasp and she gasped.

Mulan quickly moved closer and grabbed her hand, looking it over for an injury. "Are you all-right, Princess? Wait, how are your hands burned?"

She led Aurora closer to the fire to look at her hands more closely as Aurora winced not wanting to make a sound. Only the backs of her hands were burnt, and as Mulan looked, her face became more and more grim. "Princess, these are severe burns. How did you come by them? You could not have gotten them by falling in the fire." She looked at Aurora expectantly.

Aurora shuddered and recounted "In my dream I was searching for a way out of the room, and one of the corners was burning less brightly, so I ran over to see if I could get out. As I approached, the flames rose up and I put my hands in front of my face to protect it. I remember a searing pain in my hands and then I woke up"

Mulan frowned. "Yet you were dreaming, why are you burned now?" She shook her head. "It matters not. I can gather some herbs to help your hands heal. Please remain here where you are safe until my return."

Aurora sat back down from her half standing state. She had wanted to tell the warrior that she felt safer _with_ her than here in camp but decided to hold her tongue as she had learned that arguing with Mulan tended to end badly. She smiled a little remembering the limp Snow had for the days after tackling Mulan near the beanstalk. Mulan had apologized of course, but still the injury remained.

She was roused from her thoughts by the sounds of branches breaking with the sounds getting louder by the second. Fearing the worst she jumped up and ran over to where Snow kept her sword, grabbed it, and prepared to wake Snow and Emma to fend off the intruders. As she turned, she saw instead Mulan rushing back, her arms full of herbs. Mulan stopped and cocked her head looking questioningly at Aurora who still stood there sword raised. Sheepishly, she put the sword down and returned to her seat by the fire. Auroroa responded to Mulans questioning eyes saying "you were making so much noise coming back to camp, and usually you move so silently I do not even know you are there, so I thought you were an enemy."

Mulan smirked as she lay the herbs out and began to mix them together. "And were you going to fend me off in with your hands injured like that? I am surprised you can even hold a sword."

Aurora stiffened and sat up straighter. "Just because I do not know how to fight does not mean I would not protect the people I care about if they were in danger."

Mulan nodded slowly understanding the sentiment and resumed her preparations. Having finished making the herbs, she suddenly stood up and rummaged through her saddle bags removing some cloth which she then tore into strips. She sat back down and soaked the strip in the herbal solution she had made and looked up at Aurora. "Princess, would you give me your hands now so I can treat them? Be warned though, this will sting."

Aurora stretched out her hands and as Mulan began to wrap them one at a time she struggled no to make a sound. Mulan glanced up in admiration before continuing to work. Trying desperately to find something other than the pain in her hands to think about, the princess glanced at Mulan's hands. She blurted out "Why are you always wearing gloves?"

Mulan started but continued to work. "You wear them all day. Even when we eat or sleep you leave them on; I am sure I have never seen your hands without them." Seeing Mulan tense while she was wrapping her hands she realized her error, "oh I… I am sorry. I did not mean to pry. Please, forget I mentioned it."

Tying up the bandage on Aurora's second hand Mulan stood and shook her head. "It isn't prying, I just prefer not to discuss it." She rose and gave her hand to Aurora to help her up.

Aurora turned to go back to the tent, paused and turned back around. "Thank you, Mulan, for the bandages. My hands feel better already." As she turned back to re-enter her tent Mulan spoke again while facing away.

"I left my home to fight for China in my father's place, for had he gone, he would surely have died in the war. In the great battle we fought, I defeated the Hun's leader and saved China. The Emperor honored me for my actions and forgave my crimes, but the people of China were not so forgiving. The first night that I was home, angry citizens stole into the house and set each room on fire. I was able to get out of my room, but when I got outside, my father was not there. I ran back inside to look for him and found him collapsed under a burning beam. I lifted it up and pulled him outside."

During her tale Aurora swore she had heard Mulan's voice shake each time she mentioned her family but could not see her face. Stepping closer, she brushed her hands on Mulan's shoulder. "Was he all-right? And the rest of your family? What happened?"

Mulan brushed her hand in front of her face and shook it out. "Cursed soot! Stings my eyes every time." She sat down and continued to look away. "No. My father died from his injuries the next morning, and my mother was so fraught with grief that she followed a few days later. My grandmother tended my hands for the next week, but after that she asked me to leave saying that only more harm would come to me if I remained. I packed my armor and took my horse and began travelling east. Eventually I met Phillip and then you." She brushed her face again muttering "blasted soot."

Aurora looked over at Mulan with tears in her own eyes at the warrior's tale. Knowing that Mulan would be hurt if she tried to comfort her, she instead sat down and asked her "Do you mind if I stay out here for a while? I don't think I can go back to sleep yet with my hands like this."

Mulan nodded and settled back into her position of watching the camp. Aurora snuggled in next to her and closed her eyes turning over in her mind what she could do for the next few days to make her warrior feel better.

_Fin._


End file.
